Rodney McGruder has operated with a shade of national anonymity the past few years.

For better or worse, the only thing the average basketball fan knew about the Kansas State program the past couple of seasons was that Frank Martin—the guy with the intense, angry eyes and perceived volatile temper—was the Wildcats’ coach and that his team was a reflection of his hard-nosed attitude.

Kansas State guard Rodney McGruder has remained a relative unknown despite his importance to one of the Big 12's best teams. (AP Photo)

And this year, the Wildcats have a new head coach, a guy (Bruce Weber) who just happened to take Illinois to the national championship game a few years ago. Maybe it’s time to notice Kansas State’s 6-4 senior wing. He’s so important to their success.

The Wildcats still have the Martin-era scrappers, the strong, long players who bring more athleticism and defensive acumen than offensive skill. McGruder is Kansas State’s best scoring option. They create points off turnovers and hustle plays, of course, but in terms of creating a shot and scoring in a half-court set in crunch time, McGruder will be the one with the ball in his hands for Weber.

Such was the case Saturday against No. 22 Oklahoma State. McGruder had just two points at halftime, but he took control after the break. He finished with a season-high 28 points and made the two biggest shots of the game.

"Rod got cooking and that was great for him," Weber told reporters. "He got in one of those zones, and we needed it, and he rose up."

The Cowboys had rallied to knot the game at 64 when McGruder knocked down a huge 3-pointer from the left side to put the Wildcats back in front. On K-State’s next possession, McGruder drilled another triple from the right corner with 1:37 left, which gave Weber’s squad control of a very important game between two of the best teams in the Big 12.

Kansas is going to win the conference title again—that seemingly is a foregone conclusion—but the Wildcats could well claim the No. 2 spot. If McGruder plays like he did Saturday, they absolutely will.